The System of Capitalism Pt. 1

The capitalistic economic model preferred by the United States and adopted internationally (even by strict socialist republics to a degree) is a system that is amoral; meaning that it does not concern itself with needs, the real tangible needs of people. Capitalism thrives on antagonisms and divisions; all in the name of increasing revenue. Needs are an afterthought to growth and profit. It is innate that in these type of economic societies, the man, the woman, and the child are akin to currency. The people are a commodity. Humanity, with all of its uniqueness, talents, personalities, desires, creativity, development and dreams, is not viewed through this prism or judged by such. Rather, these qualities are undervalued and only become valuable in regards to the generation of capital and profits that can be produced from them. Talent or ability are not the prime considerations, only the end result is. The same can be said of people, as their welfare is of no concern; it is how much profit they can contribute to the economy. The system will take care of you insomuch as you take care of the system. While there exists no judgements of right or wrong, the system of morals and ethics are skewed, as an impoverished good person who harms none would be considered a failure while a wealthy person who harms many in the pursuit and maintenance of wealth would be considered successful. Thus it seemingly does create it own system of ethics, as distorted as it is.

How much profit can be created from the people, while giving them little to noting in return, at least in contrast to what is created? This relationship can be observed in a consumer to seller or employer to employee dynamic. In the realm of employment, the worker is maximized for results and profit, and without a doubt, the profit that the worker makes for their company is greater than the salary and benefits (if they do receive any such benefits) the said worker receives, many times over. They are not compensated according to their real worth. Instead, their salary is driven as low as possible, just barely enough to remain competitive. The masses, who are the buyers, are in a never ending cycle of purchase. The products of purchase offer a type of positive experience, which has convinced the buyer of ownership. The product may change, but the promise remains constant; your life will improve if you just purchase the respective product. And the more, the better. This is where the deception of capitalism comes into play.

As long as the the people are immersed in this relationship with consumerism, they will remain sedated by product and material. As long as the mind is occupied by luxury cars, designer clothing, and electronic toys, it worries not about matters, important external matters such as injustice and abuse, or deeply internal matters such as spirituality. This is the personification of turning a blind eye. As long as the people have their material wants and needs satisfied, life is good. Even if these material wants and needs amount to mere crumbs from the proverbial table, it matters not. Thus the creation of the selfish man and woman.

The focus on the individual is paramount in this system. We are bombarded with messages imploring us to spend capital and live well beyond our means. We are urged forward with empty slogans meant to appeal to our sense of self entitlement, such as “It is your right,” and “you deserve it,” for example. This focus is strictly on the individual and not what is best for the community on the whole because the individual can maximize profits, unlike communal needs, which is not profit driven, and if it’s not profit driven it’s utterly useless. The self, which is indeed the focus, is placed on the scale of market value and transaction.

People are reduced to an equation in transaction. What I mean is this – you need A + B to make AB. Now apply this equation to your average purchase. You have Consumer A with capital. You have Seller B with product. To make AB they both have to combine and the common denominator is capital. So if Customer A has no capital or insufficient amounts of it, as in mathematics, the equation is incomplete. The individual is a “cash cow,” and just like an animal waiting to be slaughtered, you are kept alive, barely, for the purpose of maximum exploitation, and when there is no more that can be taken, you become useless to society and are rendered disposable.